Red
by Assassin Wolf 17
Summary: Decided to test my luck with a Little Red Riding Hood story. It still has the same message as every Little Red Riding Hood story so I hope y'all enjoy.


_**Red**_

As Little Red Riding Hood walked through the forest, she felt so alone.

"Is there anyone out there," she asked shakily, the fear starting to overwhelm her mind.

Getting no response, she kept trying to persuade herself that it was nothing.

Turning around, she began to walk, till a twig snapped. "Who's there," she asks, nearly shouting as she spun around.

Seeing nothing, she attempts to regain herself and, as she turns around, she sees a wolf.

She nearly fainted, but the wolf, in a calm and relaxing tone, says, "There, there child, there is nothing to fear. I am just a wanderer, like yourself. So tell me, why are you walking through the forest all alone?"

Little Red Riding Hood, thinking she had nothing to fear from the wolf, says happily, "I'm going to my grandmother's house to bring her some bread and water. You see, she is very sick and she can't muster the energy to stand and eat."

The wolf, interested in what she said, consoles her with a paw, placing it on her shoulder. "Well dear child, I am sorry that your grandmother is sick. Say, how about you and I walk over there to visit her?"

The way the wolf spoke made him sound like he was trustworthy so Little Red Riding Hood quickly agreed.

As they walked through the woods, Little Red Riding Hood says, "Thanks Mr. Wolf for coming with me. I would be frightened if I went all alone."

"Do not be frightened, dear child. The darkness is what keeps evil from seeing you. The light gives you away."

Relaxing a bit, the little girl says, "Yeah, I guess you're right. My grandmother lives in the clearing a couple of miles up ahead. You can't miss her house."

"Oh really," he asks.

"Yep, you would only miss it if you weren't paying attention."

The wolf smiles and, as he begins to salivate, he says, "Climb onto my back... so we can take care of your sweet, sweet grandmother."

As they ride, Little Red Riding Hood quickly asks, "Wait... where are we going?"

"We are taking a shortcut."

She smiles and, hugging the wolf's neck, she says, "Thank you for taking care of me."

Oh yes, he would be taking care of her. Just not the way she'd be expecting it.

As he rode on, he found what he was looking for; his den. He quickly ran inside and before the girl could argue, he says, "Okay... we're going to be taking a little rest here."

She frowns and, as she climbs off the wolf, she asks, "Why? My grandmother's house is just," and with a yawn, she continues what she was saying, "just up ahead."

"Oh you, just listen to yourself. You're so sweet and innocent... but you must rest for the journey back. I will take the food to your grandmother's place... and when I return, I will keep you warm till dawn comes."

Agreeing with the wolf yet again, she lies on the ground before closing her eyes. She was glad she found him when she did, otherwise... who knows what would have happened.

As she slept, the wolf, upon taking the basket, ran out of the den. He was going to get something to eat... and he needed the bait.

Upon his arrival at Little Red Riding Hood's grandma's place, he knocked on the door.

In a soft and feeble voice, the grandmother asks, "Who is it?"

"I'm a hunter. I was hunting when I came across your granddaughter. I walked with her to protect her from any wild animals that roam the forests."

"Oh, how kind of you. The door is unlocked."

The wolf, laughing to himself, simply uses his jaws to twist the door knob open before heading inside.

The sick grandmother, upon sitting up, asks, "Why do you walk on all fours?"

"When I hunt, it is best to... think and act like your prey."

"And why do you have such... large eyes?"

"The best to see my prey."

"And such... large hands and feet?"

"The best to catch my prey."

"And such a large... nose?"

"The best to smell the fear of my prey."

"Why such... large ears?"

"The best to hear my prey scream."

"And such large teeth and jaws?"

"The best to devour my prey."

"And what are you hunting?"

The wolf simply smiles and says, "You."

He jumps onto the bed and, as she screams, his teeth clamp down on her feeble neck, breaking the bones and crushing her windpipe. She was dead as soon as it started.

He carries her off the bed and, dropping her on the floor, laughs at the sight. "Perhaps you should have taught your granddaughter not to trust a wolf. But it doesn't matter, she is mine now."

As the wolf climbed down off the bed, he stood above his kill and, as his hunger got the best of him, began to gorge himself. His teeth simply ripped and crushed both flesh and bone as he consumed his meal.

Once he had his fill, he left the rotting remains behind. Perhaps someone would come by and assume that both daughter and grandmother were dead... hopefully they would.

On his way out of the house, he grabbed the basket. He was going to give this back to the little girl... she would soon learn her mistake.

Little Red Riding Hood, upon waking up, looks around to see that her best friend was gone. "Mr. Wolf? Wolf? Where did you go?"

She knew that calling out into the darkness wasn't going to help... and she didn't want anything other than the wolf coming in so she remained quiet.

As she sat there, the smell of... something awful flooded her nostrils, forcing her to gag. She had no idea what it was, but she heard a very comforting voice.

"I have returned... sadly, when I arrived, something had broken in and attacked your grandmother. I tried to help... but she was already gone."

Looking towards the entrance, she looked at the wolf and, as tears fell from her eyes, she asks, as if she misheard him, "My grandmother... is dead?"

"Unfortunately, she is. I did try to save her... but it was not meant to be. She was already dead."

She looked at his jaws and, seeing the blood and gore, she asks, "What... what happened? There's blood... on your face."

"On my way back, I grew hungry so I ate some crows. Not very satisfying, but they did what they were supposed to do."

Sighing in despair, she wraps her arms around the wolf and cries into his neck. "I don't know what to do! Mama told me to help her... and now it is my fault she's gone!"

The wolf places a paw on her back and says, "There, there dear child. It is not your fault she is gone. You weren't the one who killed her. It was a beast of the wilds. You are not responsible."

She felt so comfortable around the wolf. It was strange, feeling comfortable around a predator. But then, people feel comforted by fire so this was probably the same thing.

Except fire doesn't lie. As the wolf held her close to him, it began to lick her neck.

"What are you doing," she asks alarmed.

"Cleaning you. You are so... filthy," the wolf says as it continues to clean her neck.

"Mr. Wolf... stop... you're... making me laugh," she laughs, trying to get him to stop, but failing at it.

"Oh, well, I guess I'll have to... endure how you found the hilarity of me cleaning you. But I do have a question for you."

"What's your question?"

"How old are you?"

"I'm almost thirteen. Why?"

The wolf smiled. "When do you turn thirteen, dear child?"

"In a month. Why?"

Perfect. In a month, she would be an adolescent. In one month, she would... ripen, as one would say. But to the wolf, in one month, she would be... ready to breed, ready to kill.

Perhaps he'd keep her just to breed, perhaps he'd eat her when she reached the age of thirteen, perhaps he'd find more little girls and kill them too. Who's to say?

"Oh... just curious. Say, where is your home?"

At the edge of the forest. Ten miles that way," and she points to the south.

Deciding it was not worth it to kill her mother, he asks, "Do you have any... sisters?"

"Yep, I have five."

"How old are they?"

"Well... I'm the youngest. The oldest is twenty-one, the second oldest is nineteen, the first middle is seventeen, and the second middle is fifteen," she says proudly.

Now he decided it was worth the risk. "Oh... two years apart? Wow..."

On second thought... if he kept her long enough, they'd search for her. She was the precious child, they wouldn't leave her to die.

"So, would you like to stay with me?"

Giddy with excitement, she hugs the wolf tightly and she shouts, "I would love too!"

This was easier than he thought.

Back at Little Red Riding Hood's home, the mother, looking at her four daughters, says, "I hope she is alright... I don't know what I'd do if she was missing or..."

Unable to finish her sentence, she starts to bite her nails, trying to relax.

The oldest, at the age of twenty-one, says, "Don't worry mother, I'm sure she is fine. If she doesn't come back today or tomorrow... we'll go after her."

The mother looks at her and says, "Alright... but make sure you wear your red cloaks. They ward off evil, as the legend says."

Unfortunately, it was the other way around.

"We will mother. We will find our little sister and we will bring her back safe and sound."

Comforted by her daughter's words, the mother smiles, knowing they would save her.

Back at the wolf's den, Little Red Riding Hood says to the wolf, "I... I'm afraid of the dark..."

The wolf chuckles a bit and, as he walks towards her, he says, "Do not fear the dark. I will protect you."

She smiles and, as he lies down, he gently grabs hold of her and pulls her closer towards him.

Perhaps he'd keep her to breed. Perhaps...

"You're so warm," she says as one of her hands brushes his paw.

"And you're so small. Now go to sleep, dear child. I will keep you safe from the evil outside."

The next day, the youngest had not returned. The mother cried and, packing a basket full of food, she gave it to her eldest daughter.

"Be safe... and please... bring her back home."

"We will mother," the oldest said and she led the four into the woods. Each one is wearing a bright red cloak, thinking it would ward off evil.

Unfortunately, some evils were attracted to it.

As they walked through the forest, the second middle constantly looking behind them, the oldest said, "We'll stop here for a quick lunch. Do not wander off or you'll be left behind," she says to the group.

At the den, Little Red Riding Hood soon awoke... to find the wolf gone.

"Mr. Wolf, where did you go?"

Being she was afraid of what was outside, she remained still and quiet. She didn't want the evil beast that had killed her grandmother getting her.

Back with the group, the first middle, as she looked around, saw something in the woods. Curious, she decided to take a little stroll through the trees.

As she walked, she heard a twig snap. "Hello?"

She turns around... only to find herself surrounded by trees.

"Great, I have lost my way."

Unbeknownst to her, the wolf was right behind her.

The oldest sister, noticing the first middle was gone, sighs and says, "C'mon we have to keep going."

The sisters, now three, pray that the first middle finds her way out.

Back at the den, the youngest looks to the entrance to see the wolf... carrying the first middle.

"Where did you find her," she asks, shocked.

"I found her in the woods. She saw me and ran right into a tree so I took her back here so nothing took advantage of her and killed her. I saw three others on the road... I'll try to lead them back here so they know you and she are safe."

As the three moved on, the second middle says, "Perhaps... we should take a break..."

The oldest, looking at the sky, says, "Alright, we'll take a quick break. Do not wander off into the woods or... or we'll keep moving on without you."

They all silently agree and relax on the path, though relaxing was the last thing they could do, being that one of them was missing.

As the second oldest looked the way they came, she spots something. She simply stares at it, not even listening to her sisters as they walk away.

They thought she would come with so they weren't paying attention.

As she stared down the path, the thing came closer and closer till at last, she sees that it is a wolf.

She had no time to react as it charged. It soon was on top of her and, as she tried to resist, it used one of its paws to knock her unconscious.

Back at the den, the youngest was tending to the cut on her sister's head. "This must have been where you hit your head on the tree," she says quietly.

All the sudden, the wolf comes in, carrying the second oldest.

"What... What happened?"

"I saw her on the road and, as I approached, she tripped and hit her head on a rock. The other two are still on the path so I will go to lead them here," he says as he walks out again.

As the two walked down the path, becoming more nervous as their numbers dwindle, the second middle says, "I can't take this... she was with us and now she's not."

The oldest, sighing heavily, says, "Look... just relax, alright? We'll get through this."

It was as if a breeze blew past her from behind, followed by the scent of death. She felt sick, but she managed to prevent herself from getting sick.

"Are... Are you alright," she asks, coughing hard.

Hearing no response, she turns around... to see her sister missing. In a panic, she ran, not wanting to be there anymore.

Back at the den, the wolf had returned once again as it dropped off the third sister.

"She became ill so I came to help. The oldest ran off so... I took this one with me. Now I must go to help the last one before she gets hurt."

He turns and leaves, leaving the youngest to take care of her three elder sisters.

As the oldest ran, she kept looking behind her to see if she was being followed. As she looked ahead, she ran right into something.

She fell hard on her rump and, as she looked up, began to panic. Right in front of her was a wolf.

"Please... leave me alone," she begs, hoping it would work.

It didn't. "Sorry, but I cannot. You are my target... and I won't let you go so easily."

It soon lunged, pinning her to the ground. She screamed and panicked, trying to free herself. The wolf, being much bigger, simply whacked her on the head, knocking her unconscious.

At the den, the wolf had returned, bringing the oldest sister.

"What happened to her," the youngest asks, seeing that her nose was bleeding.

"In a panic, she ran right into me. She must have hit her nose on my ribs. She screamed so... I scared her so she'd pass out. I was afraid that something would try to hurt her if I let her scream. I hope you can forgive me," says the wolf as he looks down in mock shame.

The youngest smiles and, as she stands up, she walks towards the wolf and rubs his head.

"Of course I can forgive you. You're my friend. You would never do anything to hurt me."

Oh how wrong she was.

The next day, having not returned, the mother, falling into depression, took her own life. Her neighbors found her outside, a rope around her neck as she hung from the rafters.

Back in the forest, the oldest, as she awoke, looked upon the wolf. "Please... Please don't eat me," she begged.

The wolf laughs and says, "My dear lady, I would not hurt you. I just ask that you do me a favor."

"And what is that, beast?"

"Please, I am just a wolf. But the favor is; walk into the back of the cave. I cannot go back there due to my size and I think you will fit. There's an amulet back there... and I'd like you to have it."

Hoping that if she did this, he'd let her go, she walks to the back of the cave. Seeing the hole in the wall the wolf had spoken of, she climbs through it, but her cloak got caught.

Using force to get free, her cloak ripped off of her, leaving her only in a simple white dress.

She pressed on, but her dress was ripped open by the cavern wall. She cursed silently, but pressed on.

At the very end, she found the amulet. Smiling at the thought of freedom, she put it on... and heard laughing behind her.

Turning around, she sees the wolf. "I thought you couldn't get back here," she says, alarmed.

"Yes, and you also thought that I would free you if you got the amulet. But alas, you were wrong."

As he approached her, he smelt the fear emulating off of her. He laughs and, once he was in front of her, smiles.

"This is going to be fun."

As she's about to scream, his hunger took over his mind. He had lost control, simply biting flesh and breaking bones. The smell of blood overwhelmed his nostrils as he tore her apart. But it's not like he wasn't thinking.

As she lay dead upon the crimson stained ground, he laughs as he wipes the blood from his snout. "To get the little girl… I need all the competition gone. Perhaps I'll spare another of your sisters… perhaps I'll just keep the little girl… Who's to say?"

Little Red Riding Hood, as she sat with her sisters, sighs heavily. I miss Mr. Wolf."

The second oldest, who is now the oldest, asks, "Why?"

"He's my friend…"

That's when the wolf appears. "Oh, friend… Well dear child, you do not have to worry about me. No matter what, I will always be there to… comfort you in your time of need."

The youngest smiles and happily says, "Mr. Wolf, you're back! Where did you go?"

The wolf approaches her and places an amulet around her neck. "I went into a tunnel looking for this. I thought it would be an excellent early birthday present for you."

The youngest smiles and, as she holds the amulet, she says, "Thank you, Mr. Wolf."

He smiles and sits down in front of her. What she didn't know was that the amulet made her his.

"Hey, where's our sister?"

"I don't know. I woke up and she was gone. I tried to find her… but she must have ran deeper into the forest. If you'd like, we can search for her."

The three older sisters look at each other and say, "No… we'll go looking for her. You just stay here with our little sister and make sure she's alright."

The wolf nods, though feigns disappointment at not being able to come with. But not like it mattered; he would protect his prize from anyone… even them.

As the three traveled through the forest, they hear a twig break behind them. Turning around they see a small bird pecking at the seeds on the forest floor.

Laughing to themselves, they turn around and continue walking. Perhaps they were just fooling themselves.

As they continued on, one of the sisters tripped over a branch and fell. "Do not worry about me, sisters. I will catch up."

Nodding their heads, they continue on without their sister.

"Stupid dress," the second middle grumbles to herself. A growl comes from behind her and, as fear takes over, she turns her head… and sees the haws of the wolf come directly at her.

As the two sisters continue on, the first middle asks, "Where is our dear sister?"

"Your dear sister is no more," says a mysterious, yet familiar, voice.

Looking around in fear, the second oldest asks, "Where are you?"

"I am everywhere… and nowhere," says the voice.

The sisters continue to look around until, alas, their eyes meet the wolf's eyes.

"Oh, Mr. Wolf. What brings you-"

With no time to react, the wolf lunges, tearing out the throat of the second oldest sister. The first middle turns to run… but the wolf lunges and forces her to the ground.

She starts to scream, but the wolf grabs the back of her head and, with a sharp twist, snaps her neck. He soon lets go and her head falls to the ground with a thump.

He climbs off of her and laughs. "Well, looks like I win the game. My trophy… is your sister."

At the den, the youngest sighs as she looks over the amulet. It was a bright silver with a bright red ruby in the middle.

"This is… beautiful," she says as she stares at the ruby in the middle.

"I'm glad you like it," says the wolf as he walks into the den.

The youngest turns and, seeing that the wolf was wet," asks, "What happened?"

"I jumped into a river to… get clean."

She smiles and says, "Oh, well that's good. Being clean is a good thing."

"Yes, yes it is."

As she looks back at the amulet, the wolf approaches her and grabs hold of her cloak.

"What are you doing?"

"Taking this off of you. You do not need it anymore."

Deciding to indulge the wolf, the youngest lets him take off her cloak. She lifts her arms to make it easier for him and, once he got it off, he set it down on some rocks.

"Mr. Wolf," asks the youngest.

"Yes my dear."

"What are you going to give me for my birthday?"

"Oh… well I can't tell you, but it will be… special."

She smiles and, as she looks at the wolf, she says, "My name… is Rose."

"Rose? That's a beautiful name."

"Thank you… Mr. Wolf."

Placing a paw on her shoulder, the wolf says, "It is my pleasure, Rose. In one month, on your birthday, I will make it special for you. I promise you."

She smiles and gives him a kiss on the cheek. "I know you will. You're my best friend… and that's what best friends do; they make things special."

If only she knew what he meant by special.


End file.
